1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to reclaiming surface mined lands by use of waste products from mining operations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since valuable ore deposits often occur in nature intimately mixed with a variety of less valuable or desirable constituents, it is a primary function of the ore processing industry to remove or separate as much of the extraneous constituents from the desired ore as possible. The flotation process developed in the early 1930's has proven to be a valuable tool for assisting in the removal of unwanted waste products from ores and is in wide use today in a variety of ore processing operations. However, since the development and utilization of the flotation process by the ore processing industry, disposal of the waste products resulting therefrom has presented a monumental problem. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,761,239 (1973) and 3,763,041 (1973) teach processes for removing water from slimes and tailings to yield useful land-fill compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,698 (1972) suggests the addition of sand to flocculated waste product solids to obtain a high density solid. I have discovered that flocculation is not necessary when sand is added to waste products by spraying a sand slurry over the surface of the waste products using the spray nozzle unit of my invention.